Writing and productions from Gareth Stack

Tag: blind

Gather in the darkened cinema for the première of a programme of short radio plays in surround sound, where all the pictures will be in your head! This third presentation of new work by the successful Sightless Cinema project is a lively mix, devised and performed by groups of blind and visually impaired people led by director Ciarán Taylor. The short pieces include hospital comedy ‘Off Your Trolley’, an historical drama on Ireland’s worst railway disaster ‘Train Wreck’, the chilling ‘Leonna’, and comedy of errors ‘Robbing Blind’.

I worked with theatre director Ciaran Taylor and the White Cane Theatre Group to develop these scripts, and a surround sound mix of each play. This may be the only time these plays are available in 5.1 sound, so be sure to check it out.

Sightless Cinema is funded by Dublin City Council, hosted by the National Council for the Blind in Ireland, with recording facilities provided by Dublin City University, and is a Dublin City Council Social Inclusion event.

‘White Cane Audio Theatre is a group of blind and visually impaired participants (aged 20’s to 80’s) led by theatre director Ciarán Taylor of Carpet Theatre with radio programme maker and composer Rachel Ni Chuinn (The Shape of Sounds to Come –Lyric Fm), and facilitated by the National Council for the Blind in Ireland with the support of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Arts Office. The group has been meeting for nine months exploring audio as a means of shared expression. Sightless Cinema is a presentation of some of the work generated during the project.’

I spoke to the group last week as they were finishing up recordings for the soap opera episodes based on their real life experiences, that serve as part of the project.

Sightless cinema, a live event showcasing the groups work, takes place this Thursday at UCD’s student centre cinema at 6.30PM. Contact: carpettheatre@gmail.com for ticket details.